Purchasing your truck or trailer from fleets can be very different when compared to a dealership. In this post we go over some high-level items that should be taken into consideration when making your purchase decision.
Working with a fleet company
Whether you’re purchasing from a fleet or for a fleet, working with a company that knows fleets saves you time and money. Fleet sales don’t have time for the haggling so a lot the pricing is competitive right out the gates. Also, the purchase process is basically second-nature and streamlined which makes a lot of the usual retail obstacles non-issues.
Pick the right truck or trailer, not the cheapest one
What will you be hauling?
How much weight will you be hauling?
How will it be loaded/unloaded?
What will be its primary function?
Will it have a secondary function?
Finally, what’s your budget?
These are just some of the questions you should ask yourself when preparing to buy your first truck or trailer.
Fleet Companies usually take better care of their equipment
Without a doubt, when buying from a fleet, rest assured they’ve been on a maintenance schedule. Taking care of their business lifeline is a priority so no-downtime is a good thing.
Also, regarding maintenance and replacement cycles, studies show that there are significant differences depending on the size of the fleet. For smaller fleets (less than 100 trucks), the average age of Class 8 vehicles was 5 years whereas large fleets (1000 trucks or more) reported an average of 2.7 years. Small fleets tend to run their fleets longer because of equipment and maintenance cost.
